> This is the new baseline of quality, because they can’t afford talent.

This is at best an incomplete statement.

Advertising moved to a more lucrative technology and if good journalism comes to depend on subscription revenue, readers are not willing to pay in sufficient number.

We are now at least two generations removed from the faint echo of grammar being taught by somewhat informed personnel. Neither the people writing nor the people reading are adequately equipped.

ChatGPT now impresses people, for pity's sake.

Talent is hard to find in all domains, for money or love.

Where is the journalistic talent? It seems exceedingly rare.

It’s gone, absorbed into other parts of the economy.

Bloomberg and Reuters for financial stories that are relevant to the markets. They have a major financial incentive to not mess it up i.e. their customers will cancel their 10,20k/yr/person subscriptions.

The financial papers are generally better than the rest.